# 99% of life is showing up



## SemperInvicta (Jan 7, 2014)

99% of life is showing up.

A few weeks prior to the City Council vote on the smoking ban, I made a trip to New Orleans, partly to enjoy myself, my friends, party, eat, spend too much money. While I had been following the progress of the proposed ban since originally championed by Councilwoman Cantrell in mid-2014, I made this trip a special one to pass out home-made fliers and other materials alerting residents, fellow visitors and other lovers of freedom of the impending City Council action to ban indoor smoking in New Orleans, a city which I loved for the gritty, "anything-goes" vibe. To my dismay, almost all disregarded the news with "That's never gonna happen", "They've been trying that for years" or another means of shrugging it off. One bartender, cigarette in hand, crumpled up a flyer in front of my eyes, swearing it'll get voted down.

Just a few weeks ago the New Orleans smoking ban went into effect. Weeks before, I watched the City Council final vote from my home via live stream. The room was packed with haters and other ninnies, wearing "Smoke free NOLA" T-shirts and holding signs. Only a few lonesome and outnumbered businessmen pathetically stood up to voice opposition. When the vote came, it passed unanimously.

I know anecdotally that the vast majority of bar owners, regular bar patrons, and bartenders didn't want a smoking ban. I spoke to them myself. No one wants to stand in vomit-covered Bourbon Street in the rain to smoke a cigarette or cigar, hustled by the thugs and robbers. Yet, where were they the day of the vote and weeks preceding? I am convinced that if even 10% of those with any skin in the game had written a few letters or made a call to the city council, or at minimum gotten their asses out of bed that morning of the vote to raise hell, we may not be where we are now.

Part of me is sad, part of me says you got what was coming to you, but all of me will never visit New Orleans again as a tourist. I will not willingly spend discretionary money in a city that so explicitly demonized and dehumanized adults for the adult decision to consume a product legal for human consumption. That on one hand tobacco is signed off by governments as fit for human consumption, yet on the other hand every public policy effort is made to demonize those who consume this product through smoking bans and otherwise, is frankly disgusting to me, moreover at the cost of trampling on the rights of private property owners, the choice of consumers and the freedom of employees to independently weigh the risk/rewards of prospective workplaces.

Believe me, right now is high time for cigar lovers worldwide. We're getting our asses handed to us by the haters. City and state governments are successfully passing smoking bans and other anti-tobacco legislation at an astonishing pace, mostly because those with skin in the game sit on their asses, saying nothing, not taking the threats seriously until too late. I see all around me fellow connoisseurs just blowing off the impending FDA deeming regulations, for example, as if in the end the FDA will just magically lose interest in premium cigars. Sorry, my friends, the FDA has the means, political capital, and desire to squash an easy target like premium cigars; doing so is an easy step closer to their stated goal of achieving a tobacco-free America.


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## NormH3 (Apr 20, 2015)

One of the reasons that indoor smoking is being outlawed is due to the establishments not willing to install proper ventilation systems in their places of business. I enjoy a good cigar, but I'm not really interested in inhaling everyone else's second hand smoke whether it be cigarette, cigar or pipe. I remember years ago when there were non smoking sections. Really a joke as they were right next to the smoking section. Same with aircraft. A silly concept. Smoking in a building of any kind is not a Constitutional Right. Never has been.
As a firearm owner, I have a more important fight to worry about.


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## SemperInvicta (Jan 7, 2014)

You're forgetting about the rights of private property owners to decide whether to allow smoking in their establishments, and what kind of accommodations to make for non-smokers, if any. If you don't enjoy second hand smoke, don't go to a bar/restaurant that allows it. If you don't like the food, don't go. If the music's too loud, don't go. Vote with your dollars and feet.

The debate has nothing to do with "public health", but rather speaks to the fundamental rights of PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS, the free choice of INDIVIDUAL CONSUMERS and the responsibility/freedom of EMPLOYEES to independently decide the risk-reward of their workplaces.

That this point is missed by so many is sad and discouraging.


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## NormH3 (Apr 20, 2015)

SemperInvicta said:


> You're forgetting about the rights of private property owners to decide whether to allow smoking in their establishments, and what kind of accommodations to make for non-smokers, if any.
> 
> The debate has nothing to do with "public health", but rather speaks to the fundamental rights of PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS, the free choice of INDIVIDUAL CONSUMERS and the responsibility/freedom of EMPLOYEES to independently decide the risk-reward of their workplaces.
> 
> That this point is missed by so many is sad and discouraging.


I get that. If owners had provided a proper ventilated space for smokers, perhaps this wouldn't have happened. Too late now.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

I've tried to champion this anti smoking BS for years and it always ends up the same....too much money on their side and more TV time so they can tell everybody about the evils of smoking cigars...all the while they breathe contaminants in the cities and buses that belch smoke and factories ratchet up their cancer causing agents in the air and in the water. I am stopping my appeals because not enough people who smoke cigars will make any difference and the aggravation it causes me to deal with stupid people who talk out of their a$$ just makes me want to get off the grid altogether. I own two houses and I can smoke my cigars in peace...in my driveway with my scotch and wave the middle finger of peace to those who don't agree with my style.


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